Two months after ending her college career at Alabama following a torn labrum, Morgan Scott re-emerged at the 2023 College Station Sectionals on Thursday — notably, before the NCAA Championships later this month — sparking questions about the former fifth-year’s premature departure from the Crimson Tide.
During a conversation with SwimSwam last weekend, Scott cleared up some of the confusion surrounding her move to Coley Stickels’ pro group at Texas Ford Aquatics (TFA). She initially hurt her shoulder in September, but she didn’t get an MRI until November. Scott said she was told by a coach that “it wasn’t best to get one because knowing the results may alter the season.”
When the results showed a labrum tear, Scott said she was recommended a shot and modified training to prevent further injury if she wanted to continue the season.
“Since I wanted to go to SECs and NCAAs, I decided to proceed with the shot,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, it did not work at all, and the modified training never commenced. Once I realized I could not trust some of the coaches with my health, I had no choice but to leave.”
Scott took over a month off while rehabbing aggressively before deciding to reunite with Stickels. She first trained with Stickels at Indiana in 2018 before following him to Alabama in 2019, but the Crimson Tide parted ways with him after just 18 months at the helm.
“I intended to leave Alabama after NCAAs, anyway, but since I could not take 5-6 weeks off and compete at the highest level, I might as well go to him, now,” Scott said. “To make things clear, Coley has never told me to go train with him while I was at Alabama. I know I train best with him under the circumstance of injury and that is why I chose to train with him. Leaving was solely my decision and was one I was not happy to make. I had every intention of finishing out the season before all this went down.”
Last weekend, the 22-year-old Scott returned to the same pool where she concluded her collegiate career in November, this time with a TFA cap. She started off College Station Sectionals with a 24.01 leadoff split on TFA’s 200 medley relay team that came less than a second shy of the North Texas LSC record with a 1:37.71. She also led off the 400 free relay with a 48.94 split for another victory in 3:22.00.
Individually, she picked up a win in the 100 free (48.18) while placing third in the 200 free (1:46.92). She also helped TFA earn another relay win in the 200 free relay with a 22.02 split.
A three-time individual first-team All-American, Scott won an NCAA title in 2021, leading off Alabama’s 400 free relay team with a 47.79 split. Last year, she was fourth in the 50 free (21.43), second in the 100 free to break the elusive 47-point barrier (46.78), and was on all five of Alabama’s scoring relays. Scott also developed into a strong butterflyer that season, splitting 50.97 on her team’s 400 medley relay. Her 32 individual points were the second-most for her team, and she was an integral part of Alabama’s overall fourth-place finish.
But guys, how will the affect LeBron Legacy?
@mo wishing you the best bro. Also, thanks for the free meals at the dining hall 😘
One thing people are forgetting is that she isn’t the only All-American who left Bama that month. Cora Dupré quit swimming for health reasons and isn’t training with TFA. Not a good luck on the coaching staff
Who will ever know the truth, but if the article is to be taken as even partially true, the line about ‘take a shot w. altered practice’ sounds like a really, really BAD idea, coming from a coach.
The fact that coaches didn’t want her getting the injury checked out when it happened because “it may alter the season” also looks really bad.
Nothing ever involving Coley Stickels is normal
I don’t understand this. Alabama has world renowned Sports Medicine doctors and Orthopedics. Why is the article saying coaches recommended a shot, steroid?, and modified training. I would think the swimmer would make the decision on care with the doctor.
No mention that she told the women’s team that her goal was to win a team title at SEC’s and since that will not be accomplished, she is stepping away. The story on her leaving has changed multiple times since that meeting, but wish her nothing but the best.
Exactly. She was awful to the women’s team when leaving, threw them under the bus, and claimed they did not care as much as she did.
Best of luck to her in her “pro” career
You do realize you are posting about a 22-year-old swimmer as if your version is a fact. It’s easy to criticize from behind a keyboard isn’t it?
The manner is which she stepped away says so much more about her than the coaches. She held a meeting and told the women’s team that she was the only one that tried in practice and the only one that cared, which was insanely untrue. She belittled the woman’s team and took off because the bridges were burned and no one wanted that attitude on deck. Good luck with Coley. He’s a monster.
I’ve been out of the water all year, but do know how Morgan can be. This is probably fairly accurate of her, but I also would say that there are members of the coaching staff that would place winning SEC’s over that of the safety of the swimmer. The last few years were way to rocky for me and I was happy that it finally came to an end. The team needs a strong leader. Unfortunately, I just do not see Margo (as friendly as she is) being able to fill that role.
Idk but I doubt it went down as described in the article. Oddly No mention of finishing school which you would think would play a role in her decision. Lastly paging dr geer to the white courtesy phone….you have a swimmer who isn’t happy.
I believe she graduated in May 2022. The NCAA offered a 5th year because Covid-19 cancelled NCAA’s in 2020. Nobody knows what happened behind closed doors. Hope she heals and continues to swim.
You still have to be enrolled in school though, no?
Yes, you do.
Her one year masters degree is online so she can do it from anywhere
She was not enrolled in a Masters program. She was enrolled in the minimum number of undergrad gen-ed credits